Thermoplastic elastomers traditionally have had poor adhesion to surfaces of various types. Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), a subset of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), often result in peel strengths of only 0.5 to 4.0 pounds per linear inch (pli) between the TPV and substrate after melt processing the TPV to the substrate.
Typically, when a polymer and a substrate exhibit poor adhesion toward each other, the problem can be attributed to poor wetting of the substrate with the polymer or a lack of interactions between the surface and the polymer.
Therefore, a need exists for thermoplastic elastomers that adhere to a substrate surface and, in particular, have increased peel strengths that can withstand normal use of the material